Danielle and Joe
Retire and Roam

I hadn’t been back to Paris in 25 years. The city has changed — nearly 50 million visitors a year will do that — but it is still extraordinary. Here’s what a week with my daughter looked like, from Versailles to a concert at Sainte-Chapelle that was a once in a lifetime experience.

Paris was always on the itinerary. But first — Lille and Rouen, two French cities I knew almost nothing about and left completely won over. Plus a HomeExchange apartment, a Joan of Arc museum, and a Dieppe train we nearly didn’t make.

This trip was a long time coming — a graduation celebration that got delayed by grief and finally arrived. Three rainy days in London delivered a royal surprise, West End magic, and the strange experience of walking over some of the most famous people who ever lived.